"He will be in the movie sparingly," Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has teased. "But at a key, strategic moment, he's going to loom large."

The Star Wars franchise's first spinoff will take place at a time somewhere between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope and will explore character backstories and all their history in a galaxy far, far away.

Billed as a heist flick – but in space – the film is set to follow "a wayward band of Rebel fighters" led by Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) as they come together to fight the forces of evil and steal plans for the Death Star before it's too late.

"There isn't much time," Jyn warns her fellow rebels in the new trailer. "Everyday they grow stronger."